(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fruit harvesting apparatus for removing fruit from its natural habitat or tree, comprising a fruit catching device utilizing a vaccuum and a removing or cutting device for removing the fruit caught by the catching device from the tree.
An article of fruit as disclosed in this application is inclusive of any material object or product of plant growth that is useful to man, and particularly covers the edible and more or less succulent product of plant growth including those commonly understood as fruits, vegetables, nuts and the like.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
This type of harvesting apparatus is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 3,564,826. In this prior patent, fruit is removed from its growth source by drawing the fruit to a cutter cap acting as vacuum pad, rotating the cutter cap carrying the fruit, and bringing the calyx of fruit into contact with a stationary blade mounted at a forward end of a cutter housing.
Further examples are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,756,001 and 4,519,193 and in a Japanese patent application laid open under No. 59-106215. According to these examples, the calyx of fruit is cut by a cutter mounted at a forward end of a cutter housing while the fruit is maintained inside the cutter housing.
With this type of fruit harvesting hand, however, the calyx to be cut lies forwardly of the vaccuum catching device since the fruit is drawn to and caught by the vaccuum catching device inside the housing. Therefore, it is necessary for the fruit removing device such as a cutter to cut the calyx forwardly of the vaccuum catching device to which the fruit is drawn, hence the cutter is disposed at the forward end of the housing. However, when the harvesting hand is advanced toward the fruit to be harvested with the cutter disposed forwardly of the vaccuum catching device, the cutter or the housing could contact and injure the fruit before the fruit is drawn to the vaccuum catching device. The cutter or the cutter housing sometimes injures other fruits also while approaching the fruit to be harvested.